Operation Yellowhammer Report Is Project Fear On Steroids, Says Tory MP

12 September 2019, 07:57

Conservative MP Nigel Evans has labelled the government's own report into the worst-case scenario of what will happen following a no-deal Brexit as "Project Fear on steroids".

The documents, which the government were forced to release last night, reveal the worst case scenario could see major hold-ups at channel ports, possible food and medicine shortages, and public disorder.

But speaking to Nick Ferrari, Mr Evans dismissed the concerns.

He said: "Yellowhammer is nothing more than worst-case scenario. And it's worst-case scenario on steroids. It's worst-case scenario if the government did no mitigation whatsoever.

"The fact is that the government has spent something in the region of £8billion in mitigation and preparation of what might happen.

"Yellowhammer is nothing more than Project Fear on steroids."

Nick pointed out it is a detailed document actually prepared by the government, having looked carefully at what would happen to fuel prices, medicines, food and the ports.

But the MP for the Ribble Valley insisted: "I talked to [Brexit Secretary] Steve Barclay last week and he said to me 'Do you know that two-thirds of the medicines that Ireland get come through the United Kingdom', so if there are going to be shortages in the UK, there will be shortages in Ireland."

Nick responded by saying: "I don't see how that helps."

He then asked how Boris Johnson would have seen these documents and still said he was pursuing a no-deal Brexit. The MP said: "If I said to you 'do the worst-case scenario with no mitigation of the worst things that could happen to you when you get out of bed in the morning'.

"Everybody starts with the prospect of being mowed down by a bus.

"The fact is that with worst-case scenarios literally without any mitigation at all, you'd never get out of bed."

Watch the exchange at the top of the page.